The present invention relates to a roof railing for motor vehicles which includes a rail which is supported at each end of the rail on the roof of the vehicle via a support foot.
A roof railing of this type, shown in Federal Republic of Germany Patent 40 04 829, ordinarily includes at least one rail extending along each side of the roof and at least two feet supporting each rail. For mounting, the rails and feet are assembled, and the feet are provided with threaded bolts having protruding ends which are passed through holes in the roof plate. Nuts are applied to these threaded bolts from the other side of the roof plate.
The cost of producing a traditional roof railing is high. Typically, the rails are made individually and are frequently bent in two planes, corresponding to the contour of the roof. The feet are also produced separately and are surface adapted to the rails, which, despite high expense, cannot always be assured. Differences in gloss between the rails and the feet and, after the mounting has been effected, mismatch between the feet and the rails can frequently be noted. One particular disadvantage of roof railings of the traditional type is their relatively heavy weight, since the feet are frequently developed as solid castings. Therefore, depending on the styling of the support feet, considerable grinding and polishing work is frequently necessary in order to obtain an aesthetically attractive surface. Since this work can only be carried out manually, this also has a negative effect on the price of the parts.